The data carriers are formed according to the transponder principle in such a way that the data stored in the data carrier can be read and, if required, changed after activation by the electromagnetic field of the terminal.
Such contactless-type data carriers are used in different areas. Examples to be mentioned are public transport systems, electronic purses and access entitlement ID cards. Nowadays there are two groups of transponders, low-frequency and high-frequency, which are used depending on the application.
According to recent regulations defining the permissible frequency bandwidth and transmitting energy radiated by the terminal, a carrier frequency of 13.56 megahertz is now stipulated. However, there are numerous systems that work at a different lower carrier frequency. This is in particular the case with access entitlement systems for ski lifts, which are integrated into wristwatches for example and use a carrier frequency of e.g. 122.8 kilohertz. These devices communicate with the access terminal via this carrier frequency to cause release of a blocking apparatus.
It is therefore necessary to form the terminals so that they can communicate with data carriers that work both at a high carrier frequency, such as 13.56 megahertz, and at a low carrier frequency, such as 122.8 kilohertz.
In this context it has been proposed to provide each terminal with two resonant circuits, one resonant circuit with a small antenna for the low carrier frequency and one resonant circuit with a large antenna for the high carrier frequency (DE 198 317 67). However, this construction has the disadvantage of significantly increasing production costs. In addition, the terminal requires much more space, which is frequently undesirable. Moreover, it has been ascertained that the two antennas can influence each other.
The patent application DE 100 02 311 C1 from the applicant has proposed to solve this problem by using a single, common antenna for both required resonant circuits, i.e. both the high-frequency and the low-frequency resonant circuit, of the terminal. This antenna is a multi-turn antenna, but it is not yet fully satisfactory for the high frequency of 13.56 megahertz due to the excessive inductance.